branches up, roots down

This column caused more of a stir/controversy than all of my others....people are still gossiping about it. START MAKING SCENTS GOOD DISH By Oak The best meals I've ever had have been feasts for the senses. The food tastes wonderful, the smells are exquisite, everything looks beautiful, there is at least one thing I lay my hands on to eat, and there's something delicious to hear and converse about. The conversation can range from world events to the torrid affair a mutual friend is having, but one thing is for sure; good dish, or gossip, is as necessary at a memorable feast as the main entrée. As witches, we bless our ritual feasts and say "may you never hunger, may you never thirst" to those near. To this could be added a wish for an abundance of good gossip. As a long time member of the Reclaiming, I have become accustomed to the occasional tirade against gossip by someone in our community. Gossip can be delicious, satisfying, entertaining, loving and fun....

Today was a quintessential San Francisco fall day. The air was as crisp as a granny smith apple, the light had that honeyed hue I love so much, and there was the occasional gust of wind to picturesquely toss around leaves. The energies of the day turned out to be all about reconnection. Operators were standing by, and the calls came pouring in. I called a friend on her cell phone and she just happened have just run into my old coven mate, Gwydion. Gwydion and I rarely see each other any more - but I trust him to show up in my life when I really need him. Today, by so called coincidence, I found out that he was about to embark on a trip to Iceland. I’m glad to know it, Iceland figured into some of our coven’s fantasies, spurred on by Reya and her desire for a puffin farm. It will be good to imagine Gwydion there in the coming weeks. So strange that at this juncture one of us is actually heading for Iceland! A call from another friend prompted me to call someone I haven’t spoken to in mo...

In the past year I’ve been combing thru the teachings of both Feri and Reclaiming, questioning what still works for me and what needs refinement, if not downright jettisoning. In the last few days I’ve been thinking about what Victor Anderson, the founder of Feri, had to say about birthdays. Victor stated that our birthday is the most important pagan holiday. The day of our birth, and the birthdays of those we love, is certainly worth holding in high spiritual regard. It’s a miracle, this gift of birth, this gift of life. It makes sense that we honor and celebrate it, remembering that our own personal journey thru the lifecycle reverberates with the stories of the god/desses, is in fact the story of one divinity within a pantheon of other divine beings. However, I don’t believe that the day of our birth is the most important holiday; I think it’s here that Victor’s weakness for the grand pronouncement shows, and the “I” ness of Feri reveals itself. Holding the celebrati...